Celebrity Detox: The Fame Game

by Rosie O'Donnell

Book Overview

Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking and always brutally honest, this is Rosie O'Donnell's surprising account of the pain, regret and euphoria involved in withdrawing from celebrity life and embracing the real life of a mother, partner and artist.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446582247
• ISBN13: 9780446582247
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Rosie O'Donnell A Wonder Of The World!

I pre-ordered this book on [...] a while ago, but I'm on vacation in Vancouver, Canada! I was having it sent to me here in Canada but I just couldn't wait. I went out and purchased Celebrity Detox (the fame game) and read it in one sitting. Wow is all I have to say! Wow! that Rosie has the courage to be so honest and forthcoming! Wow! that the publishers had the guts to back, publish and print such an amazing recollection of ones life, dreams and disapointment! Wow! on how lucky we all are to be able to read such an amazing piece of raw memory from one of our leading artists in the United States. Rosie has always been on the forefront of changing the world and I'm glad to see that she doesn't hold back as she progresses through the journey of her life. Like her or hate her you will be able to admire the woman who says what the majority of amercians feel. She is a hero in my book and I feel lucky to have had the chance to say I was able to enjoy Rosie on screen, on tv and on paper. Purchase Celebrity Detox and you will understand what makes her tick and why Rosie O'Donnell is who she is. This woman has been a humanatarian for years and has never asked for anything back but for us to keep an open mind about her opinions, views and ideas.

Risky, honest and compelling.

Rosie is brave and her honesty is inspiring. This book made me look at my own life and ask, am I living my life to the fullest? Am I present enough with my family/children? Do I appreciate the small moments of life, or do I rush through it? This is what Rosie does best, she holds a mirror up to her celebrity self and somehow we see ourselves in the reflection. Bravo, Rosie.

Life after fame isn't always Rosie

This is an unprecedented book by an unprecedented Star! Just like Rosie O'Donnell, "Celebrity Detox" is candid, humorous at times, compassionate, clever, and incredibly thought-provoking. If you think you know everything about Ro, you will be surprised after reading this. And, if you detest Ro and believe that she is the antichrist then you will also get a new understanding of the real Ro. Because she is nothing at all like that lunatic the press portray her as. You can you say what you want about Rosie O'Donnell. I am sure there is nothing she hasn't heard and there's nothing she cannot take. But you cannot read "Celebrity Detox" and call Ro a coward. In the book, Ro courageously discusses her life after hitting it big and how her brief stint on "The View" came to a thunderous halt. This is the first book ever written by an A-list star that frankly details their own fame in such a forthright and impartial way. Through "Celebrity Detox," Ro has forever ripped that mysterious veil of secrecy off of the MSM. As Ro has said, she wants to "let the book speak for itself." Who else can write a best-seller without doing any type of promotion? Ro doesn't care about being popular or about making lots of money or being famous. Maybe that's why she was able to write such a riveting and original book? This book was not written for money or for attention (another myth that the media tries to pass off as "fact.") All the proceeds from "Celebrity Detox" are going to Ro's Broadway Kids foundation. I wonder if a certain big-mouth billionaire gives even a tenth of what Ro does? "Celebrity Detox: (The Fame Game)" is somewhat of a follow-up to Ro's extremely successful NY Times Bestseller, Find Me. It's hard to say which book I prefer because they are both works of art. Maybe that's also why Ro is so controversial (and unconventional?) Because art always attracts mixed feelings and is usually subjective. To some, they could be looking at a beautiful rose, and to others they might see something terrifying. Perhaps through her writings, Ro is trying to convey that art can be whatever you make of it? Like a fine hand-made wicker basket, this book is woven together very intricately. Ro discusses her childhood in certain passages that may have a prevalence or a similarity to her most recent situations. There are parts of this book that are very sad, shocking and extremely tragic. Ro is especially delicate in these passages. But, Ro is nothing if not (always) candid. She gets it all out in "Celebrity Detox." And, Rosie doesn't care what the repercussions are because she has the truth on her side! If you enjoyed Ro's latest book, I also recommend Find Me and Ro's 2006 documentary All Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise. And I also recommend, Journal Revolution: Rise Up and Create! Art Journals, Personal Manifestos and Other Artistic Insurrections which includes some of Ro's art! I have come to really admire Rosie because she gave so much of herself in this book. A

Really Great - Very Quick Read and Powerful

This is an exceptionally well written book. As a fan of Rosie's blogs, I didn't know what to expect, but she is not just an average writer. She writes with incredible honesty and almost artistic prose. I am yet another person who picked this up in the bookstore, tried to find out what happened on the day of the big fight with Elizabeth, and read the whole thing...and I am normally a very slow reader (and I hate reading for pleasure because I am in graduate school and have enough to read!) Anyway, unless I missed it - she actually skipped the Elizabeth fight. She did include the Kelly Rippa feud, the Ching Chong issue, and of course Donald Trump. Her opinions on him are made much more clear and the whole thing has so much more context now. The subsequent fallout from the Trump debacle (specifically, her relationship with Barbara Walters) was actually a big piece of this book, as she tied it back to betrayal issues with her own mother when she was being abused by a man. Like the other reviewers said, the book gives a lot of insight into the real Rosie. She is clearly not this caricature portrayed in the news for the last year. Also, the book (like her) has also been poorly represented in the media. She does not really call Barbara Walters "tired." She's not unaware that she has abandonment issues, and sees Barbara Walters as a mother figure. It's a big part of what she talks about. (Some news show psychologist was psychoanalyzing Rosie and Barbara in this manner, but Rosie actually described the issue better herself.) The passage about Walters being "tired" is taken out of context from a letter to her brother where she writes about the *entire* situation on the View. She felt like the new kid in school - but a new kid that drives a Mercedes (I believe that was the exact line.) They asked her to be herself - but then to stay in a box at the same time. At some point, she talks about Barbara in the context of the overall view environment. In another page of brutal honesty, she admits that she believed Donald Trump's claim that Barbara Walters said that she regretted hiring her. The emotional carnage of this kind of betrayal (after past betrayals by her mother which she goes into) is pretty rough. This is not 150 pages of Rosie whining and playing the victim really. It is a very behind-the-scenes look at a very complex woman (and a complex show) who is possibly more in touch with her emotions than anyone I've ever seen. She has an understanding of interpersonal dynamics that is remarkable. She may come across a little self important and emotionally strange at times, but that's how it is. For example, she e-mailed Elizabeth "I love you and I'll always protect you" at one point - in response to a little change that Elizabeth made in one of the show's segments. Rosie also saw Elizabeth's emerging independence (taking out the earpieces that they wear on the show) as a sign that she was converting her to be a better person or so

Read-worthy; personal depth with a clear voice.

Rosie's style of writing makes for a clean read; her voice comes through loud and clear (but NOT annoying!) This is a wonderful presentation from someone who is not afraid to share her real feelings in print and in art. You can see her expressive artwork in Linda Woods and Karen Dinino's Journal Revolution: Rise up and Create! Journal Revolution: Rise Up and Create! Art Journals, Personal Manifestos and Other Artistic Insurrections I found the subjects she writes about intriguing (love the peek at inside workings of The View) and purging (enjoyable to see Mr. Dump Truck blasted by the master!)Totally worth a purchase. Yes, I will read this one again after a bit (and I don't do that very often!)